£10m issue remains as club plot Birmingham City transfer raid

Jordan James of Birmingham City is still a target for Atalanta ahead of the summer transfer window.

As the Blues battle to avoid being demoted to League One, the Serie A team is reportedly monitoring the player’s development, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.

Wales is now aiming to qualify for Euro 2024 in Germany this summer, and Rob Page is leading the team in this regard.

However, he has also been more significant at St. Andrew’s this season, making 36 appearances in the Championship thus far (all statistics courtesy of Fbref).

With eight goals in the league, he has been a major factor in the team’s success in staying out of the bottom three heading into the March international break.

Jordan James’s most recent transfer

Atalanta was reportedly interested in signing James in January of last year, but they were hesitant to match Birmingham’s £10 million asking price.

The £10 million is thought to be a sticking point for the Bergamo team, who still want to sign James this summer.

During the winter market, James was connected to other English clubs as well, but the 19-year-old decided to stay with the Midlands team.

LINKED
The Birmingham City player who, following Gary Rowett’s appointment, may now play a pivotal role: Look at
A major gain from Gary Rowett’s return to Birmingham City may be for Lukas Jutkiewicz.

 

The move of Birmingham to League One is something that Atalanta is happy about since they think it would lower the midfield player’s asking price.

In January, James was connected to Crystal Palace and Newcastle United, while more recently, Leicester City was touted as another team interested in the Welshman.

James is the most recent star to come out of the club’s academy, which has recently shown to be a highly helpful asset for the Blues.

The adolescent player’s deal with the Championship team runs through the summer of 2025, although Birmingham has the option to extend it by an additional year.

But considering the club’s present relegation situation, a summer departure might happen if the squad is demoted to League One.

Birmingham City’s league standing

To assist keep the team out of the bottom three, Gary Rowett has taken over as interim manager for the rest of the season.

He took over for Mark Venus, who had been temporarily placed in charge of the first team roster due to Tony Mowbray’s forced absence due to sickness.

Having previously managed the team from 2014 to 2016, Rowett has returned.

After taking control, the team is now 21st in the Championship standings, tied with Huddersfield Town for 22nd place on the point total, but ahead thanks to a better goal differential.

On March 29, Rowett will take on relegation rivals QPR in his first game back in charge.

Relegation would make James’s position in Birmingham challenging.

James has a legitimate asking price of £10 million considering his value to the team, his talent, and his future.

It will be exceedingly challenging to hang onto him over the summer, though, if the team is demoted to League One.

It will also be challenging to maintain that £10 million asking price, which illustrates the potential financial consequences for St. Andrew’s should they fall into the third division.

Although Rowett’s signing should allay their relegation fears, nothing is definite going into these final eight games as the race for the bottom spot is extremely close.

GET MORE NEWS HERE